If you haven't heard, Snapchat recently released their own fancy-shmancy glasses called Snapchat Spectacles, and people all over the internet have been clamouring to get their hands on a pair!
The specs – designed with a handy-dandy camera right in the frame – automatically start recording at the push of the button before streaming the footage straight to the Snapchat app on your phone.
While the primary use for these futuristic glasses is obviously to make your Snapchat experience all the more interactive and fun, there are actually quite a few other things your Snapchat specs can be used for.
Whether you're driving around town, shopping for a new outfit or are uneasy walking around in an unfamiliar area, Snapchat Spectacles may have your back in more ways than one. Here are 6 different ways that you can use your Snapchat specs to your full advantage!
- In the car
- Shopping and trying on clothes
- As a conversation piece at par-tays
- Don't just record on your face
- As a safety precaution
- For the sickest profile pic/video ever
In the car
Have you ever been driving when the guy in front of you hits a pedestrian and then tries to take off, leaving you stunned & unable to react? How about if there's an accident on the side of the road, but you're too scared to snap a photo in lieu of causing another accident? What if there's a confrontation on the side of the road, and you quickly need to start capturing everything on camera?
Two words: Snapchat Spectacles.
While it's true that these futuristic glasses were designed mostly for Snapchat, using them in the car might be a key way to avoid accidents, tickets, and capture ass-hat drivers on camera who think it's cool to whizz through a crosswalk but WE ALL SAW YOU, LADY – and so did my Snapchat specs.
See, because Snapchat Spectacles work after simply tapping the button on the frame of the glasses once, they're nearly hands-free, making them ideal for driving. You can easily record everything from your amazing Bohemian Rhapsody singalong to the weirdo who's been flipping you off and following you for the past 20 minutes.
Plus, the video from your spectacles will go straight to your iPhone automatically, meaning there's no additional fiddling needed that would cause a distracted driving accident or ticketing.
The downside to using Snapchat specs as a driving buddy? The video only lasts around 10 seconds, so unless you're hitting record over and over and over again, or you're looking to capture only a small snippet of your time on the road, then the specs are more a stylish accessory than a super-functional tool.
Shopping and trying on clothes
While shopping can be a ton of fun (it totally depends on the person), shopping for a specific outfit or gift can be a major pain in the butt, especially when you don't have any backup to tell you if you're picking out the right things (SOS, MOM).
Sending photos to family and friends of an outfit or accessory to ask for their advice is nothing new, but it could also be considered a bit passe. Plus, you don't really get to see all the details of an outfit from just a picture, and sending a video of your outfit or accessory a) eliminates one hand entirely from the ensemble, and b) can obscure the outfit in some way, shape, or form.
By using Snapchat Spectacles, you can easily take a hands-free video of your outfit in a floor-length mirror, meaning you can get your BFF's honest opinion on your full outfit and not just part of it.
You can also use your Snapchat specs to easily browse through clothing in a store without looking like a creep and whipping out your iPhone (although wearing sunglasses in a store is a bit odd … you might consider replacing your Snapchat sunnies with some standard clear lenses).
As a conversation piece at par-tays
Have you ever been to a party and felt like absolute wallpaper? Upstaged by the dude who just came back from Australia and fought a great white shark? Bummed that the punch and Chex Mix are getting more attention than you are?
Then never fear, because Snapchat Spectacles are here!
If there's one thing Snapchat specs are really, really good at, it's starting a conversation. Simply put the glasses on and start walking around. If no one spots you at first, start recording random things here and there – someone is bound to notice the light on your glasses and ask, 'Hey, what the heck are you doing?' or 'Is that a camera in your glasses?! Like James Bond?!"
The only downside to using your Snapchat specs to peacock? Once you turn it on, you can't turn it off (well, not the glasses … those turn off in around 10 seconds).
These glasses are attention-getters, so you'll have everyone from randoms on the street to people in the checkout line asking you about them. Fair warning: You'll probably have to go through your Snapchat spec archive and delete allllllll the recordings of you explaining how the glasses work a bajillion times.
Don't just record on your face
One thing a lot of people forget about Snapchat specs is that they're a camera first and glasses second, meaning they don't technically need to be on your face in order to capture video. While some may argue that this totally defeats the purpose of spectacles (disagree? Cash me ouside, how bou' dah?), I'll argue that it gives you an opportunity to get super creative with how you see the world!
By holding your Snapchat spectacles and recording, you can open up new points of view, treat your specs a bit more like a 360-camera, and record things that you didn't even think could be recorded.
Having your bag scanned through security? Start recording on your specs before they go through the machine to get a new perspective. At the beach and want to set up a shot, but don't want anyone to run away with your phone? Tap record on your specs from the beach blanket and give your boyfriend a candid kiss. About to ride a coaster at the fair, but can't record with your phone? Hold your Snapchat specs tightly (you can get a better grip on them than your phone anyways!) and start recording.
Your Snapchat specs don't need to be on to capture the world around you – you just need to get creative and think outside of the spectacles! (But keep in mind that Snapchat specs aren't super durable or waterproof, so treating them like a Go Pro might not be the best thing to do. Be gentle?)
As a safety precaution
There's nothing worse than feeling unsafe or uneasy in an unfamiliar area, and things can get very scary very quickly if you're caught off guard or unsure of what to do.
While they won't necessarily protect you against a violent attack or assault, believe it or not, Snapchat Spectacles can add an additional layer of security to your day-to-day routine.
By recording on your glasses when you're walking out to your car, or leaving work, or even just walking in a strange part of town, you give your would-be assailants a window to be caught on camera. If you think someone is following you, simply start recording and look behind at the person. You can even quietly mumble a description as you're walking so that the information is recorded on camera.
Now what if someone steals your Snapchat specs? First off, go to the police, but second, hope and pray that the idiot hit the record button as they ran off, because chances are it might have streamed straight to your Snapchat account.
For the sickest profile pic/video ever
Recently Facebook has allowed users to upload something called profile videos, meaning that if you ever took a bomb-ass selfie video with a Snapchat filter, now's the time to put it front and center.
… Or, you could break the mold and give yourself a Snapchat Spectacles profile video!
There are two ways to get a really solid Snapchat spec profile video:
1) Have your significant other/friend/mom/dog wear the Snapchat spectacles. Then while they're recording, twirl around, dancing, laugh, run up to the camera, make silly faces, model – do whatever! – for up to 10 seconds.
2) Wear your Snapchat specs and record your reflection in a mirror! This doesn't even need to be a standard mirror selfie – walk around a department store and record yourself walking past all the mirrored displays, or walking in front of a massive reflective window downtown.
Like I said before, think outside the specs!
How do you use your Snapchat Spectacles?
Are you a firm believer that Snapchat specs should only be used for Snapchat and Snapchat alone? Or do you think there's a bit of room to use these things more creatively? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
